47 Breaking the News

Al didn't know how long he spent in the healing nectar of the odyssey system.

All he was aware of was that an aura of happiness and joy that could only be felt when one went past their limits and achieved something they had never thought they might be capable of surrounded him, making him smile as his bones were healed and the fatigue of all the recent days of planning and extreme hard work was removed from his body.

The latter was minor, though, compared to the wound that he had sustained in his hand. All plans always had a certain failure rate, and in fact, he had thanked his lucky stars after seeing that the only way his had gone wrong was that he had not anticipated that the hero might have such a spell ready.

In fact, if she had aimed for the head, she might have succeeded in stopping him and winning the odyssey. However…his suspicion was that she wasn't really as experienced as she had seemed, and that in the spur of the moment, she had targeted his hand so that he would drop the gun.

All such thoughts only drifted into his mind and left in a few moments, unable to affect his general mood. He also dwelled on unimportant things, such as how all the people who looked like they had been crushed by the falling slabs of concrete from the ceiling had actually been teleported away before being replaced by bags of fake gore by the system, as it took simply too much energy to save and heal someone who sustained so much extensive damage.

This wasn't a simulation, after all, even though many always got confused and assumed that it was. It was real life, and because the threat level was low, the system had had no choice but to employ such tactics to make the odyssey seem genuine, while still not sacrificing any lives for the sake of appearing real.

When he finally felt the tell-tale signs of teleportation once more, he grew more excited than ever to return to the real world, and reap his rewards.

He had thought about this, too, and seen that even if he made humble calculations, then he must have earned enough to sustain him easily for a few years if he did nothing else. He had used every opportunity available to him to advertise those tools, and he had even won the odyssey, to boot, giving everyone a great show that they must definitely have enjoyed.

He didn't think too much about the fame, as he had no idea how much power the organization that had given him this chance might have had. He had also gotten a few disconcerting thoughts about whether the background of those he was going up against might intrude with the promotion of the odyssey…but it was the worst case, so he had simply reflected on what was the worst that could happen and had let it go.

He returned to the same conference room into which he had teleported on that first, fateful day when he had been told that he would be taking part in the odyssey. It looked the same as it had, then; a long table was present in the middle, around which over 20 individuals were seated.

He still beamed due to everything he was feeling, but as his eyes adjusted, the smile slowly began to slip as he observed the expressions of all those present. Each one seemed more worried and more bereft than the last, and as his eyes ranged over them all and finally reached Helena, the smile disappeared, completely, as she seemed as distraught as if a loved one had died.

Immediately, he began to assume the worst. So far, she had only been an aloof, yet incredibly supportive person who had given him such an excellent chance to solve all of his financial problems. If she was so sad…had he not done as well as he had been thinking until now?

'No, that's definitely not the case. Then…maybe they can't pay me, for some reason? But…why?'

He struggled with the doubts he felt for a few moments, even as he saw Helena struggle with whatever she wanted to say.

The more he looked at her, the more he realized that things were definitely bad. Once again, it was almost as if he could feel the clutches of this cruel world close about him, threatening to crush him and make him forget and give up on the goals he had set for himself, and the life he had promised himself he would have.

'I really can't catch a break, can I? People say that with the descent of the gods, the world has changed…but whatever happens, I guess that its natural urge to push you down and keep pushing until it breaks you will never change.'

He sighed. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened…and he knew, for certain, that it would not be the last. But each and every time he was tempted even a tiny bit to give in…he would always remember a single memory that was his anchor in his journey as a villain.

'Al… in this world, there are many secrets and many dangers, but one thing always stands true. If you just work hard and keep trying to reach where you want to go, no matter how many times you get beaten down, you will get there. Whatever happens, keep believing in yourself. And of course, I'll always believe in you…'

Those were some of the last words he had heard from his mother before she had passed into the coma, and he was damned if he would give her even the smallest chance to feel disappointed that he wasn't staying true to her wishes.

Digging deep, he once again drew on the well of stubbornness that refused to bend, refuse to bow down like so many others.

'I've lost this chance…but so what? There will be many others. I haven't even completed my initiate odysseys! I just wish I could get some money…but it's alright! I still have a month to figure something out! It'll be alright! Just get going, Al! Rice without vegetables or meat or anything else tastes good, too! Maybe I'll make it sticky!'

It was still hard. The main reason was that it stood in such contrast with what he had been expecting, but he felt foolish, now, as he should have already learned that expectations almost always lead to disappointment.

A moment was all it took to recover, though, especially with the strength of that memory and those words of his mother reverberating through his mind.

With effort, he brought the smile back to his face. As he walked forward, his footsteps echoed in the room, and on the way, none of those present seemed to be able to meet his eyes. 

Only Helena kept looking at him. For some reason that he couldn't explain, he felt a strong pang of concern when he saw all the sadness present in those pretty eyes, and without hesitation, he decided that he would cheer her up, first.

As soon as he reached her, he bowed with a flourish, in the same way that he had done at the end of the odyssey. Stretching his arms wide, he spoke in a loud tone.

"I've come back, Madam Helena! I can see that something went wrong…but please don't fret! I don't know what I did wrong, but it's alright even if you can't pay—"

His tongue and throat suddenly went still when his eyes went down to see if what he was doing was working, and fell upon a piece of paper that was in front of her.

It was a cheque with his name, and the figure that was written on it was the reason behind his mind going blank.

'$200,000…am I dreaming? No, it must be fake!'

He just couldn't believe it. He had been so excited because he had hoped that he would at least get the base compensation of $10,000, and after seeing all these people, he had convinced himself that he wouldn't be getting a dime.

So…seeing this figure out of the blue made him stutter and stammer, and even though it felt a bit as if he was making a fool of himself, he couldn't stop himself from hoping for the best and asking, "Is…is that for me?"

The question finally seemed to rouse Helena from whatever had been stopping her until now. Composing herself with visible effort, she fixed her eyes on him once more and said, "Yes, Al. It's your compensation, and I've also added in a few other things, such as a lifetime supply of food and medicines for your mother. But… I'm sorry. Your odyssey was such a huge hit that hundreds of thousands of people saw it all around the world. Before we could show the end and cement your rise to glory, though…the Dragon bought the channel, preventing us from broadcasting such an amazing show. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't do anything! I'm so sorry!"

Her voice broke as she said the last part, and she turned her face away from him after that, as if she couldn't face him. Al had begun to feel more and more stunned as the revelations washed over him, but after she stopped speaking…he did something that made everyone in the room blink, and stare.

Abject joy burst into his face once more, and jumping in the air, he shouted, "Woohoo!"